General Challenger DiscussionThis section contains general discussion about the Dodge Challenger. If it does not fit into a more specific area, it probably belongs in here. (Dodge Challenger General Discussion)

I planned on a catch can right away on this one. Regretted not doing it on my 07 RT.

Regarding the tunes, I know that an intake, throttle body and exhaust mods are necessary to fully utilize a tune. I was curious if anyone on here has tuned any of the newer models and had some input or comparison runs, etc.

Regarding warranty... These new challengers require you to use a completely different ECU to tune them. So you buy another ECU, have vendor install tune, then you swap with yours. The dealer has absolutely no idea that you've had a tune on the car now because the entire ECU is replaced. Also, I spoke with my salseman at purchase, and have spoken with FCA dealers before on this - you can mod your cars and not void warranty. The key is, you can't bring in the car for warranty on the part you modded. Light tuning is also acceptable but like I said, the dealer can't even see our tunes now with the requirement to completely replace ECU.

So back to the question... Anyone mod these new ones? Haha guys I appreciate the input - my account is new but I've been lurking and modding for years.

Yup, your theory on the ECU swap isn't true anymore. Information, including mileage, is stored in different modules (I'm over simplifying this).

The conflicting information is a huge red flag for the dealer. We have many people here that have lost their warranty because of a tune.

Regarding warranty... These new challengers require you to use a completely different ECU to tune them. So you buy another ECU, have vendor install tune, then you swap with yours. The dealer has absolutely no idea that you've had a tune on the car now because the entire ECU is replaced. Also, I spoke with my salseman at purchase, and have spoken with FCA dealers before on this - you can mod your cars and not void warranty. The key is, you can't bring in the car for warranty on the part you modded. Light tuning is also acceptable but like I said, the dealer can't even see our tunes now with the requirement to completely replace ECU.

Wrong here on all accounts. The minute you swap out the PCM a code will come up in the BCM. It's P1400, unauthorized PCM detected.

And your salesman was just telling you whatever it took to make a sale. Salesman have little to no knowledge on these topics.

And I will just add that the stock tune is a beast if you can get it very close to or even do zero knock retard/pulled timing.

Best way to achieve this is to use good gas, keep that air intake charge as cool and clean as possible... temp as close to outdoor ambient as possible and a catch can, and probably most important - traction! If the computer doesn't detect slip, it gives up all the torque!

Those mods will wake your car up and you'll be able to put the power down to the ground. I'm not sure why all these people are telling you a tune is not worth it, it most certainly is. You'll pick up 25hp and drop .2-.25 off your 1/4 ET. It's not cheap though as you have to swap out your PCM as well as get a tuner/tune, but if you get used parts you can save a little there.

I wouldn't spend any money on a CAI. They are for looks only, no significant performance gain. The hellcat airbox is perfect as it's cheap, allows more air into the airbox, and it will lower your IAT's faster after heatsoaking. Take the $300-400 you'd spend on a CAI that will just draw in hot engine bay air and put that towards tuning your car or getting some sticky rear tires.

If your car is not a daily driver, put some M/T ET Street SS 275/40/20's on the back, as the stock street tires are useless for traction. If it's a daily driver, try to fit a wider stickier street tire that is still safe in the rain. Atturo's are supposedly pretty good and very affordable. Just my two cents.

Those mods will wake your car up and you'll be able to put the power down to the ground. I'm not sure why all these people are telling you a tune is not worth it, it most certainly is. You'll pick up 25hp and drop .2-.25 off your 1/4 ET. It's not cheap though as you have to swap out your PCM as well as get a tuner/tune, but if you get used parts you can save a little there.

I wouldn't spend any money on a CAI. They are for looks only, no significant performance gain. The hellcat airbox is perfect as it's cheap, allows more air into the airbox, and it will lower your IAT's faster after heatsoaking. Take the $300-400 you'd spend on a CAI that will just draw in hot engine bay air and put that towards tuning your car or getting some sticky rear tires.

If your car is not a daily driver, put some M/T ET Street SS 275/40/20's on the back, as the stock street tires are useless for traction. If it's a daily driver, try to fit a wider stickier street tire that is still safe in the rain. Atturo's are supposedly pretty good and very affordable. Just my two cents.

Can you give more details on "email tune" and Tazer? Educate me or provide links if you would be so kind.

I appreciate the input on this stuff guys. I wasn't aware that other modules in the car are looking at PCM to verify serial number of it. That is unfortunate. I imagine people are still doing this despite this fact. Its certainly something to consider. Also - to be fair - the salesman told me about FCA's position on modding AFTER the sale, when we were bullshitting while he appraised my current car.

Also, not all CAIs are made the same. Some of them will actually isolate the airbox a bit better (by means of fit and temperature reflective material). Couple this with a higher performance conical filter (what you're really paying money for) and its certainly an improvement in airflow. This is obviously utilized mostly if you tune and are able to push more out the bottom end of the engine - no doubt.

This saddens me with the tuning - maybe i'll reach out to FCA/Dodge today and see what they say.

FCA/Dodge will tell you it voids the warranty most likely. This is where Dodge sucks. They could offer us performance minded folks a performance PCM/tune upgrade through Mopar similar to what GM/Ford offer, but they don't, and instead they lock everything down with no other option but to go aftermarket.

I pull my air filter out of the airbox when I race at the track, that's about as much airflow as you can get. CAI's are a waste of money, negligible gain, and most suck in hot air which is worse than the stock airbox. I've read all the threads, articles, opinions out there and tested things at the track. Hellcat airbox is where it's at. The only one worth looking into is the LMI True CAI, that pulls air from the fenderwell area. If you're dead set on getting one, check that one out.

Email tune is just that, a tune that is emailed to you. The tuner will send you a file via email, you download it to your computer, then upload it to the tuner, and then upload it to your car's PCM via the OBD port under the dash. To do this on 2015+ models you need to swap out your stock PCM for an unlocked one so that you can load tune files. From there, you datalog, check for knock retard and other parameters, send the log to the tuner, then he revises the tune based on your car's info, and you reload and test again. Usually 2-3 revisions gets it close. It's better if you have a wideband to log air/fuel ratio too, but for a basic street car that's not necessary. Greene Racing, Hemifever Tuning, Diablotoona, are all guys that I've used in the past with good results. There are other good ones out there as well, those are just the ones I have direct experience with.

Tazer is a small plug in device that enables line lock, SRT drive modes, and light show. It does a few other things too. Newer models need the bypass unit and it plugs in by the battery in the trunk. Older models like mine (2015) you just plug it in under the dash. Track mode is good for .1 off your 0-60mph and ET over Sport mode. Line lock is great for burnouts at the track. Light show to me is useless. It's $250 new. Used they go for $150 or so. If you have an A8 car and plan to race it at the track, I'd get one. If you have an A8 car and don't plan to race it or you have an M6 car, I wouldn't bother. Tazer is made by ZAutomotive. Check out their website for more info.

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